


Rite of Passage

by sartiebodyshots



Category: Falling Skies
Genre: Gen, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-12-30 17:46:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12113955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sartiebodyshots/pseuds/sartiebodyshots
Summary: Ben is six years old when he realizes that parents need to be taken care of, too.





	Rite of Passage

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Family Relationships day for Falling Skies Week!

Ben is six when he realizes that Dad needs to be taken care of, too.  He walks into the living room, carrying his stuffed Squirtle with him, because he’s up late and he gets kind of scared at night.  Squirtle keeps him safe, though.  

His dad is sitting on the floor, head buried in his hands.  He’s shaking, like Ben does when he’s upset, and Ben pauses on his way to the kitchen, startled by the sight.  

Part of Ben wants to go get Mom to make sure that Dad is okay, but they’ve both been so sad, lately, and it’s really late, and he’s not really supposed to be out of bed anyway.  Not that he’s really going to get in trouble, but Mom might be sterner about it than Dad would be.

So Ben straightens himself up before walking into the living room.  He approaches Dad slowly, trying to figure out what to say.  

“Dad,” Ben says, now standing over him.  “It’s night.”

Dad looks up, wiping at his eyes, but not so quickly that Ben can’t see that he’s been crying.  Oh no.  That’s worse than Ben thought, especially since his dad looks so… scared.  Like how Ben feels when he’s had a nightmare.  

“What are you doing out of bed?” Dad asks.  It’s like he’s trying to sound happy, but not very convincingly.

“Were you having a nightmare?” Ben asks.

Dad frowns a little before nodding.  “Something like that, bud.”

Ben bites his lip, trying to remember what Dad says when he’s having a nightmare.  

“You gotta remember it’s not real!” Ben says, rocking back and forth a little bit.  “But when that doesn’t work, Squirtle will protect you.”

Ben offers his Squirtle doll to Dad.  He’s Ben’s best protector, but if Dad is upset, something scary must be going on.  

“Ben, this is your stuffed Pokeman,” Dad says.

“Poke _ mon _ ,” Ben says, rolling his eyes a little.  He loves Dad, but sometimes he can be dumb.  “But if you’re scared, Squirtle will keep you safe.  He can use Hydro Pump and Surf.”

Dad seems to hesitate for a moment, but eventually takes Squirtle.  He cradles him to his chest, chin resting on Squirtle’s head.  

“Now, why are you out of bed?” Dad says.  “I thought we talked about this.”

“I got thirsty,” Ben says.  

“C’mon, let’s get you some water,” Dad says, getting to his feet with a heavy sigh.  

Ben trails a half step behind Dad, smiling when Dad’s hand threads through his hair.  Mom keeps saying that he needs a haircut, but Ben likes it when it’s longer.  

It’s so quiet this late at night, which is why Ben likes to wander around, even if he’s scared.  The stool scrapes loudly against the floor as Ben clamors up onto it, and he sits and watches as Dad fills up a glass with Squirtle cradled his other arm.

Ben sips slowly at the water, watching Dad watch him.  He wants to make sure that Dad is really okay. 

“What was your nightmare about?” Ben asks once his glass is like a quarter empty.

“Nothing that you have to worry about,” Dad says, reaching across the island to tousle Ben’s hair.  

Ben realizes that maybe that this is what his dad finds comforting.  It really doesn’t make any sense, since Dad has Squirtle and Squirtle is actually good at protecting, but it makes him feel… important.  

“Just wanna make sure you’re okay,” Ben says, going back to sipping his water.  

Dad smiles at him.  “You’re a good kid, Ben.  I don’t think I say that enough.”

“You do,” Ben assures him as he kicks his legs back and forth.  “You do.”

They sit in silence for a while as Ben finishes his water.  Ben takes his time because he doesn’t particularly want this to end.  School isn’t as much fun as he thought it would be.  The other kids are mean and Ben still doesn’t really have any friends, no matter how many times Mom says he just needs to wait a little longer.  

When he’s done with his water, he slides of the chair.  His feet hit the floor with two soft thuds.  It’s time to go to sleep, unfortunately, and Ben leads the way down the hall.  

“Squirtle will keep you safe,” Ben says knowledgeably as he climbs into bed.  “And you’ll keep us safe.  You’re real good at that.”

Tom smiles softly as he pulls the covers up to Ben’s chin, tucking him in carefully.  “I do my best, but I think Squirtle here belongs with you.”

He looks a little less troubled as he leans over to kiss Ben’s forehead and places Squirtle beside him.  It’s right at that moment that Ben realizes that parents need to be taken care of, too, and that he  _ can  _ take care of Dad.  This isn’t a moment he’ll remember years down the line, or a revelation that he remembers having.  It’s just a fact that he knows.

Taking care of Dad just becomes something that he does.  When Dad is upset, Ben distracts him by getting him onto a tangent.  When Hal hassles Dad about not going to his lacrosse games, Ben tells him to shut up, even though it stings that Dad doesn’t usually make it to his Masterminds matches.  And when Dad needs him to interrogate an overlord, heedless of his safety, well, who would Ben be if he was anything but helpful?  


End file.
